King and Lionheart
by ooooooooooh
Summary: *Previously named "Control"* Elena and her friends are once again in danger. Klaus has made it clear that he takes what he wants and doesn't care who's throat he has to slit to get it. But what happens when they find out that there's another way to kill Klaus? Another weapon? A weapon with a mind and heartbeats of it's own. A weapon of the female kind.
1. Chapter 1

"You couldn't possibly guess the news I've got for you!" Damon barged in through the door to the Gilberts' house. His mouth was set in one of those typical Damon-smiles and he wasted no time making himself comfortable on the couch next to Jeremy.

The people already in the room looked around at each other confused before Elena gestured for Damon to spill.

"Apparently there is another box and another way to kill Klaus."

"What? What could possibly be in that box and who told you that?", Jeremy said, his skepticism showing through his attempt at being optimistic.

"It's actually more of a coffin I was told. And I've got a few witch friends who don't seem to like Klaus either. I had to do some digging and a little bit of... torturing and turns out it's carefully hidden a couple of miles away… by Klaus himself." Damon announced proudly as he was reaching over to steal Stefan's glass containing some alcohol.

"Another coffin? We might as well check that out, it's always good to have a backup plan, right?" Stefan asked, getting up from the armchair placed next to Damon. The plan was to leave the following day.

It felt a little bit cramped up in the car on the way to this mysterious cemetery just outside of town. Damon was driving, Stefan called gunshot – believe it or not – and Elena, Alaric and Bonnie were seated in the back. Jeremy wanted to come but didn't really have a say in the matter. When they were about halfway there, the third witch that Damon had tried, who didn't mind talking since she was dying and therefore not afraid of Klaus, called.

"Alright, so I told you I was going to talk to my aunt but I haven't been able to reach her so this is what I found out so far; I'm not entirely sure what's in there but Klaus hid it for a reason, and my sources say that he's been checking in on the coffin as often as he can. It's been hidden there for quite some time and right now, with as many enemies as Klaus has, he doesn't go there anymore. My guess would be that he has other vampires standing guard. I went to the cemetery yesterday, being the nosy witch I am but I never got inside where the coffin is, there was a vampire there and I didn't have all the time in the world."

"Makes sense, he doesn't want to lead anyone to that "weapon" if it can be used to kill him. But why would he have people check in on it so often? Is it really so hard to survive if it gets out and into the wrong hands?", Alaric questioned but no one seemed to have an answer.

As they pulled up to the old cemetery about one and a half hour later, Elena was the first one out of the car. She immediately spotted the tiny building in which she assumed the coffin would be. Stefan caught up and slowed her down.

"I think it's best if me or Damon go first, we don't actually know what's in there." She nodded and followed behind Stefan.

The chain to the door was easy to break off but the coffin inside was sealed shut. Alaric stood watch outside and Stefan and Damon were trying to open it using their vampire muscles. But it didn't seem to work. As they tried over and over again, Bonnie went over the surface of the coffin with her hands. It was a beautiful coffin, a reddish brown with gorgeous patterns carved in. It wasn't dusty like everything around it either. It didn't seem to be a coffin to hide a weapon in but she figured Klaus had enough money to "hide" every human on earth in one of those. She stopped in her tracks.

"Guys, what if there is like another original in there? Another Mikael or Esther but worse?"

"Yeah, we don't know that until we open it, it could just be a clicker to train Klaus not to be an ass using positive reinforcements." Damon joked, earning multiple scolding looks.

"it seems like you're going to have to lend us a hand here, Bonnie", Stefan said, sighing and backing away from the coffin.

It wasn't too hard for Bonnie to open the coffin, she had used the same spell hundreds of times when the stubborn backdoor to her house got stuck. A few seconds and then the coffin could be opened.

Stefan wasted no time and opened the lid only to reveal it's hidden emptiness. It left all of them muttering confusingly. It couldn't just be empty? Stefan fine combed the white silky fabric just in case but there was nothing.

"Maybe it's a trap? Or just Klaus playing games? I bet he's watching us somehow, laughing", Damon muttered as he inspected the stone walls with his hands in his pockets.

Suddenly Damon's ring tone echoed and caught everyone's attention. He swiftly whisked it out.

"My second favourite witch!" He answered and smirked towards Bonnie who playfully rolled her eyes.

"Oh, really? Well thank her for me then, bye", He finished after being silent for a while.

"So?" Bonnie asked.

"Well, the witch-aunt apparently left a message saying that the weapon is with her old friend at her bar in Los Angeles."

"Nothing else? She didn't tell you what it was?", Stefan asked with irritation dripping from his words. Damon just shrugged.

"The only other thing she said was that the weapon would not be easy to use so I'm guessing it can only be used by a human or a female vampire over 650 years who had eggs for breakfast or something other really specific."

"LA it is then", Bonnie sighed. She was tired of running from Klaus and fighting him. She was a servant of nature but when nature made sure her and her friends were in Klaus' way over and over, she grew tired. Klaus had made it perfectly clear that he'd stop at nothing to get what he wanted. And this time it would be Elena since all his hybrids were dying due to her surviving the breaking of the curse.


	2. Chapter 2

Even if all of the previous problems with murderous vampires, wolves and other creatures were horrible at least they were geographically close to Mystic Falls if not in Mystic Falls. Flying wasn't really Damon's thing; the thrill of flying had subsided many years ago. He was one of the first people to travel by plane after all. He looked around and saw Bonnie sleeping and Caroline – who was noticeably bummed about missing some event at the school – reading a magazine with some chick and pink letters on the cover. Stefan had stayed behind to watch Elena, Klaus hadn't shown his face for about two weeks now but you never know… Surely he'd figure out why his hybrids weren't surviving and that would lead him straight back to Elena and they couldn't have that. So Stefan got to act body guard and Damon got to go on a girl-club-adventure. What wouldn't he do for Elena?

His self-pitying kept him entertained for nearly the whole flight and he almost didn't notice the plane landing until Caroline annoyingly poked his shoulder.

"Time to get off!"

The drive to the bar wasn't long; Bonnie had picked out a nice hotel only a few minutes away. The friends had left what package they had with them as well as slept a few hours considering they arrived at around 5 am. Damon had offered to compel someone to let them stay at their house but Caroline and Bonnie refused. Honestly none of them knew really if he was being serious or not. Even Damon had to admit that the pillows at Bonnie's hotel were extra fluffy and the beds extra comfy.

"Alright, here's the plan: we find Camille, I do the talking and you two look around discreetly," Damon explained carelessly as he pulled the big wooden door open to reveal a bigger amount of people and a higher volume of music than any of them guessed. Bonnie had already figured out that it had to be a spell when Caroline worriedly explained that she should've been able to hear it and ended the sentence with "right?"

"A spell. Seems like we found the right place then…," Damon trailed off as he spotted a woman, who looked like she was in charge, on the other side of the bar desk. Caroline and Bonnie slowly trailed behind him, looking around to see if anyone looked particularly dangerous or angry but it seemed to be just people having fun. A few girls were on the small stage in the other end of the room, singing karaoke, a couple more people were watching them at various tables and a couple were playing pool at the pool table. Caroline checked the enormous clock on the wall and stated that it was only a few minutes to 5 pm.

"Remember that this town has about 500 times the people Mystic Falls has so don't expect it to be a quiet afternoon at the grill," Bonnie smiled which triggered Caroline to giggle and shrug.

"Damon," the woman behind the bar desk greeted him while wiping the bar clean of any dirt with a rag. He seated himself on one of the stools and was just about to ask the woman how she knew his name when Bonnie and Caroline took the stools on either side of him.

"Didn't I tell you-," he started to complain but was cut off by Caroline.

"Yeah but look around, there's just people here to have fun and hang out. I don't want to miss out on anything," She said.

Caroline wanted to get that weapon quickly so that someone finally could take down Klaus. Whenever she thought about him, it just made her confused. He took her to the dance and continued to try to win her over, he even told her that he "fancied her" but how could she ever trust him? He was hot, really hot and his accent and his undeniable charm made him hard to resist. In some other universe, Caroline would've met him halfway given that he wasn't a complete psycho. If she fell for him here and now, she'd be a traitor. He had caused so much suffering to all the people she loved that she just couldn't see anything else when she looked at him. Even if she did fall for him, there was about a 99% chance that he was just fooling her so that he'd have an insider or something like that. She had, however, seen that he could be nice when he wanted to, maybe even a little vulnerable. Or maybe that was just another trick to fool her. If that side to him was really there then Caroline would have to let someone else kill him whilst she'd be elsewhere.

"I know who you are and why you're here. Just remember that I had nothing to do with this and if there's trouble, take it outside," Camille – Caroline assumed – snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Sure, whatever, just tell us where it is so that we can get it and get the hell out of here", Damon said and leaned forward. The witch laughed and shook her head.

"You'll have to ask it about that. She's over there, brown hair and a dark blue shirt," Camille lifted a glass to point towards a table right next to the stage. All three of them turned their heads to see a girl with her back against them. The song that the singing girls had sung came to an end and the girl clapped excitedly and got up and hugged one of the singers. Both Caroline and Damon used their super-vamp-hearing to hear what the friends were talking about when they seated themselves further down at the bar.

"I'll have a red bull vodka, please," the weapon said. She then continued to compliment her – still shaky – friend on her singing voice and confidence. Damon had no time to waste and jumped off the stool. He fixed his black leather jacket and began walking towards the girls.

"Hi, I was wondering if I could borrow your friend here? Just a minute, I promise," Damon smiled towards the blonde friend. A look of skepticism replaced her big smile and Bonnie and Caroline could see that she was looking at her friend whose face they still couldn't see.

"Why? Who are you?" The brunette asked to which Damon smiled and answered "I'm someone who has a big problem named Klaus which I hoped you'd be able to solve. Know the guy?"

"Uh, no? I've never heard of him. What kind of name is Klaus anyway?," She laughed and took a sip of her drink. Damon turned to the blonde once again and looked deeply into her blue eyes.

"You're going to let your friend go with me for a moment." She nodded and mumbled "yes." Damon took that as a cue and discreetly grabbed the arm of the supposedly "weapon".

"Look, I don't know if you're a vampire or a wolf because you sort of smell like both and I have no vervain or anything because I thought the weapon I was picking up was some sort of stake or a gun firing stakes or whatever. But since you're a person you're gonna come with me so that I can talk to you outside for a moment or I will gladly rip your heart out along with your bestie's. Got it?," he whispered strictly. Caroline started towards them when she saw that they were heading outside. Bonnie followed closely.

They stopped when they were outside and the girl leaned against the wall of the bar. Caroline noticed that Damon seemed to study her face before she got a look for herself.

"Are we going to kill Klaus by _seducing_ him?!" Caroline almost yelled, she had lost her patience.

"Wow, just because I'm a girl? That's sexist," the girl stated, a look of confusion written all over her face. A face that was – according to everyone present – ridiculously pretty.

"Look here, we've travelled all the way from Virginia to collect a weapon to kill a thousand year old vampire-werewolf hybrid and then it's just you! What could you possibly do to kill him?! He's immortal for god's sake!"

"Caroline!" Bonnie scolded. "Look, we could use all the help we can get and I'm positive that you were recommended for a reason. Our family and friends are in danger because of Klaus and we'd do anything to save them. So, will you help us?" Bonnie asked nicely, in a way only she can, really.

The girl seemed to think about it for a second before she carefully nodded her head.

"Sure, I'm Adrienne by the way."

* * *

Chapter 2! I hope you like it and that maybe you'll leave a review? Keeps me inspired! I know it's a little short still but I think it's better to post less and more frequently than to post more and rarely! Plus I've already partially finished the next chapter in which Klaus makes his first appearance... ;)


	3. Chapter 3

This is like three times the length of the other chapters, only because I promised there would be some Klaus and therefore couldn't cut earlier. I want to make it clear that all events which i will borrow from the series don't necessarily take place in chronological order. Just so that you don't get confused like "but if that happened then they aren't together and therefore jeremy was at home at 5 pm." And also, if you think the story is a bit unclear and maybe a little pretentious then just wait, at the end of this chapter is a bit of a cliffhanger and later on there will be a plot twist concerning Adrienne that you (hopefully) didn't see coming! I hope you like this chapter and maybe leave a review if you do! :)

* * *

"So let me get this straight; you're going to try to kill someone who's immortal? Isn't that just stupid? I mean "immortal" means that you can't be killed." Caroline studied Adrienne's face just like she had seen Damon do. She was too pretty for Caroline to feel comfortable. She didn't know how she felt about Klaus or how he felt about her but she did know that she did not want this chick anywhere near him. You see Caroline hated to admit it but she felt somewhat empowered and desired to know that Klaus went after her and not some other girl. And this girl, Adrienne, was so stunning that if Klaus ever laid eyes on her, Caroline would be nothing but a memory.

Adrienne's hair was medium brown, like chocolate. It was straight with maybe a few waves and it reached down almost to the bottom end of her ribs. Her cheekbones were high and really defined and when Caroline thought about it, the only one she knew who had cheekbones like that was Klaus himself. Except that his were sometimes not visible from straight forward, hers were. Speaking of Klaus and similarities, this girl also had some sort of British accent even though they sounded a bit different. Adrienne also sported a really defined jawline to make everything better. Caroline had always been insecure about her lack of jaw that made everything melt together in some sort of double chin when seen in profile.

"Well, maybe it's a dumb choice of words but we know for a fact that a stake made from a special tree can kill him, the problem is that he has that stake and even if we had it, we still wouldn't be able to come close enough to use it," Bonnie explained.

One thing Caroline had always liked about her appearance, however, was her eyes. They were big and blue and reminded people about their favourite thing whereas that was the deep, mystical ocean or the hopeful sky. But looking at Adrienne, she found herself thinking that blue eyes just weren't mystical enough and "hopeful" was perhaps just a synonym for naïve. Because Adrienne had dark green eyes and Caroline remembered that she read somewhere that the only rarer eye colour than blue was green. To top it off, those green captivating eyes were framed by long lashes and eyebrows on the straighter, a little thicker side. Her nose was perfect even for a nose, straight and elegant. How could a nose be elegant? No idea but Adrienne's was. And to save the best for last; her lips. Adrienne's lips had to be three times the size of Caroline's. They were almost perfectly symmetrical which meant that she didn't have that "kind of full bottom lip but nothing in the top lip". No, of course not. When she spoke, Caroline found herself staring at her mouth, occasionally getting a glimpse of her white, straight teeth. She also noticed that Damon couldn't keep his eyes of her mouth either. Wonder what it must feel like kissing her…

"So technically it's like staking a normal vampire except for the exceptions?" Adrienne questioned. Bonnie nodded slowly and brought Caroline back to the real world by nudging her by mistake as she was moving closer to Adrienne and Damon.

"So, this Klaus… Is he cute?" The sentence got Caroline who was toying with the hem of her skirt to look up wide eyed. And in turn, that got Damon's attention. He knew that Caroline was so unsure about the whole Klaus-thing and that she had to be at least a little attracted to him so Damon did what Damon did best. Tease.

"I mean if I were a girl I'd be all over him, well if he'd want me… You see he's just smoking hot and he has such a captivating voice with the world's hottest accent. And the charm! I've never met anyone more charming. And I bet he has a big-"

"Stop it!" Caroline snapped at Damon who backed off with his hands up and a smirk on his lips. A silence fell upon them but it wasn't awkward, just silent.

"Hey, Caroline," Adrienne began softly. "I assume that you feel something for this Klaus? Hatred, disgust or even attraction or love really? I know that in that case you might not want to talk about it but I promised that I was going to help you and then I'll need to know everything about his relationships," Adrienne spoke to Caroline, who had partially turned away, before she spoke to everyone.

"I promised to help and if you still want my help then I'd like for you to please respect my conditions. I have killed vampires before, so that I can do I just need that stake. I also have a few special tricks that makes everything easier but I'll need to know everything about Klaus' relationships; his family, friends, enemies… love interests. I need you to not ask questions about my methods or who I am because I'd rather not get unnecessarily involved. If you do this than you have nothing to lose but perhaps my life and you don't know me."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Damon cheered. "The problem is to get the stake and to do everything before Klaus finds out that Elena is still alive. So to start, I suggest we head back to Mystic Falls tomorrow."

"Who's this?" Stefan asked as he noticed a girl with Damon on the couch at the Salvatore house. He had just arrived from Elena's where Katherine had threatened Elena's family if she did not get what she wanted. The usual. When he came barging in through the front door, he did not expect the company, seeing that it was close to midnight.

"Why? Didn't think I could get a girl of my own?" Damon smirked and put his hand around Adrienne's shoulders. They got along excellent, especially with a glass of alcohol in their hands. It seemed like they shared their humor. At least to some extent and Damon liked that. He was so used to people not being able to take a joke or just smile a little, they were always so serious.

Adrienne smacked Damon's shoulder and got up to greet Stefan.

"Hi, I'm Adrienne," she said and extended her hand for him to shake. "Damon said that I could stay here for a few days while I help you with Klaus, I hope that's alright with you as well?"

"Secret weapon, pretty, funny and polite! What else can you do?" Damon joked.

"Uh sure, but wait. _You're_ the weapon?!" Stefan asked with eyes wide with confusion.

"It seems like it, yeah," Adrienne shrugged and returned to her previous spot on the couch.

"I don't understand… And how'd you come in, only Elena can invite people in since she owns this house."

"I'm not a vampire," Adrienne answered honestly before taking another sip of her drink. Damon and Stefan exchanged looks containing confusion and worry.

"Are you a werewolf? Or a witch?" Stefan asked, pouring himself a drink as well.

"I'll tell you as well; I promised to help in exchange for some privacy. I would appreciate it if you didn't snoop around about me so much but I'll share a little of my history to help you understand. There's not a name for what I am, at least not one I've heard of. I'm mostly human but as you can see I don't look a day older than 19 even though I have lived for much longer than that. I was put to sleep, literally, about a decade ago but someone broke the spell and woke me up. I do not know who did it, why or how because I woke up alone. When I woke up, I fled. I know you understand that if it got out that I have the power to kill Klaus then I'll become a target and I'd rather not spend eternity running. I may not age but I can get hurt and I can die. That's another thing that I forgot to mention before; if you lose your temper around me, "killing" me by snapping my neck or anything like that would probably kill me permanently since I do not share your healing abilities. I have yet to "die" a first time so I simply don't know. Like I said; if my status as a "weapon" came out, people would look for me, Klaus would want to kill me, since he doesn't want to die, people who want him dead, like you, would look for me and might not be as kind as you have been. People would also think that I could kill all the other originals and every other trouble making, powerful supernatural creature out there and that's something I'd like to avoid," Adrienne told the two brothers as she watched the liquid in her glass move due to her spinning the glass.

"But you have some powers right? You can kill Klaus and the other originals?" Stefan asked.

"Yes, Klaus – believe it or not – would be the easiest for me to kill. Assuming that I had the stake, of course. I'd like to keep the details of my methods to myself, you all can be compelled after all," She stated and gave them a smirk. Stefan noticed that she kind of resembled Damon when she did that and realized that she was probably the closest they were ever going to get a female equivalent to Damon.

"Yeah, we understand that. And speaking of the stake; Caroline found out where it is, she snooped around the Mikaelson's mansion," Stefan smiled, proudly with a hint of astonishment, like he didn't expect Caroline to actually find something of importance.

"Speaking of Caroline; you wanted to know about Klaus and his relationships? Well, he's got practically no humanity at all, he'll take what he wants without caring about what he's taking, from who he's taking it or what he'll do to those who dare stand in his way. I hate to admit it but the guy's pretty smart as well and somehow always knows what's going on at the enemy club. Yeah, and also, he's a big advocate for revenge, he'll kill everyone you've ever met if you cross him," Damon explained without any feeling in his voice and with his eyes fixed on something in the distance.

Adrienne gestured for him to continue and he did.

"His relationships are all bad, I'd say. He doesn't trust his siblings and they don't trust him considering he keeps _daggering_ them with a dagger that keeps them dead until you remove it. He keeps trying to swoon Caroline and get her to join the dark side and I think it's working to some extent which I really hope I'm wrong about because he's clearly just using her. But you saw her reaction before; she obviously got a little jealous when we talked about him before so I suppose he's a sensitive topic for her."

"So he's not in love with her, he's just playing her? And from what I've gathered before, family is the most important thing to him and that's why he wants the hybrids but he still daggers his real family?"

"Pretty much. I say we make up a plan tomorrow, fill everyone who's participating in and execute it, and Klaus, the day after that. Deal?" Damon asked, getting up from the couch.

"Deal," Stefan said and they both looked at Adrienne who simply nodded.

That night, Adrienne had a hard time sleeping. It seemed odd that everyone here just assumed that she would be able to kill Klaus despite being (mostly) human. Maybe she shouldn't have agreed to come here and do this but she was curious and sooner or later she'd have to put her fears aside. Lately, the anxiety Adrienne had lived with her entire life had subsided but she knew it wouldn't be gone forever. Some things triggered it and from there it would be a downward spiral. She might as well live a little now that she was more confident in herself. She also thought about Klaus before falling asleep, was he really as angry and impulsive as they made him out to be?

Damon, however, thought about their new guest before he went to sleep that night. He couldn't stop imagine himself and Adrienne as a couple, he still loved Elena of course but wouldn't it be better for him to fall in love with Adrienne? She was more like him, he probably wouldn't get in trouble for killing a human now and then. And Elena would always be in love with Stefan and there would always be people after her, being the doppelganger and all. Damon thought about leaving town with Adrienne after Klaus was gone, if not as a couple then as friends. He'd have her to help him get over Elena while still being able to have a fun and carefree life. He was aware of the fact that he was overthinking and that they just met but he really liked her and he'd already consider them friends.

"Alright then, the plan is thus to have Bonnie fix those sedating herbs and give them to everyone, just in case. We will also give the stake," Stefan pointed to the stake in a proud Caroline's hands, "to Adrienne since she, for unknown reasons has to stake Klaus. Like I said, Klaus has to know that Elena is alive by now so I imagine that he could be here tomorrow. He'll know that if she isn't at her own house then she's probably here at ours so we'll have to be ready. When he comes, he'll be surprised to know that Elena now owns this house and he won't be able to get inside without her invitation. So we'll basically close the door in his face and ignore him. That's when Adrienne comes into the picture, she'll distract Klaus in order to sedate him with Bonnie's herbs, she will then stake him and all of this will be over with." Stefan looked around at everyone inside the living room. The group consisted of Damon, Elena, Caroline, Bonnie, Alaric, Adrienne and Jeremy. As soon as the plan was finished, Elena and Bonnie called Matt and everyone else not there to tell them to hide inside a house in which Klaus could not get in. You never know if he'd be so angry that he'd just slaughter everyone he knew Elena cared about.

"Are you sure you can do this? I mean it sounds like a death trap to me..., " Elena asked Adrienne as they, along with Stefan, Damon and Caroline, drove to the Mystic Grill.

"I know how it sounds, Elena but believe me, I know what I'm doing and that does not include dying. At least not this week, " Adrienne smiled, knowing that the whole car probably wondered why on earth she was doing this.

At the bar, Adrienne handed the bartender her fake ID. Bodily, she was stuck at 19 but she had lived a lot longer than that. She ordered her usual, a red bull vodka, which her friend Sam had gotten her into. The same Sam which Adrienne left in LA without telling her where she went or why, just a "bye, I'll be back soon, got some things to do, see ya!"

At 7 pm, Adrienne had gotten to know Elena and Caroline much better and they got along nicely. Elena was very sweet, prioritized everyone else before herself and saw the good in everyone. A true hero, but also kinda boring. Caroline was sweet too but she was a lot less selfless than Elena, for which Adrienne couldn't blame her. She was also selfish, probably more so than Caroline. She wondered if Caroline's feelings for Klaus would be a problem but decided that she'd deal with that if it came to it.

Damon was his normal, fun self but what surprised Adrienne was that Stefan seemed to have fun as well. She overheard them arguing about Elena last night and drew her own conclusion that they were both in love with her. Elena seemed to care for them both even if Stefan seemed to be her true love. Weird, Adrienne thought, she would've picked Damon, Stefan was so uptight and boring. Guess they were a match made in heaven then.

Suddenly Stefan whispered in Adrienne and Elena's ear that they needed to "hide right now!"

Adrienne looked around confused to see why he was so stressed.

"Klaus," Elena whispered with wide eyes as Adrienne found him coming through the door. This wasn't the plan! The nearest hiding spot would be behind the bar, seeing as they were seated right at the end. Klaus were still by the door and there were a few other people there so hopefully, they'd be able to hide without drawing his attention. Caroline stayed in her spot and Stefan returned to his, two seats from Caroline and next to Damon. They didn't have to hide, just keep a low profile.

"Well hello there, Caroline," Elena and Adrienne heard Klaus greet Caroline literally 6 feet from their positions.

"Ugh, go away Klaus, I'm so not in the mood for being harassed by you," Caroline snapped.

"I won't have to be nice then, where's Elena? I know that she's alive and I know that you know where she is," He threatened. Caroline kept quiet.

"Alright then, I'll just have to compel someone in this room to tell me, surely someone's seen her. It's a small town after all," You could basically hear the smirk in his voice. The music that was kept on low, ceased. Klaus footsteps made it clear that he was walking to the middle of the room to speak.

"Everyone, may I please have your attention?!" he raised his voice and the room was completely silent.

"I need your help, you see, I really need to find this girl and I bet at least one of you has seen her. Her name is Elena Gilbert," he continued. If Klaus compelled someone in this room right now, they were screwed. _Everyone_ had seen Elena!

Elena saw that Adrienne quietly grabbed three glasses from a shelf under the bar and then proceeded to peek out from the side of the bar. Elena quickly understood what she was preparing to do, gripped Adrienne's arm and mouthed a big "NO". Why did Adrienne want to throw glasses at Klaus? She knew better! That would be the death of her and Elena would be exposed.

But Adrienne pulled back her arm and before Elena could do anything else, she had stood up and chucked all three glasses, at once, at Klaus and then gotten down on the floor again.


	4. Chapter 4

Klaus was confused. Someone threw glasses at him. He managed to catch the first two but because of the limitation only two hands meant, the third glass crashed into his chest. It didn't hurt. Klaus put down the glasses on a nearby table and started walking towards the bar. He didn't quite catch who the thrower was; the only thing he saw was a lot of brown hair.

"Did you really think glass would hurt me?" he questioned, amused. Someone was about to die. When he arrived at the bar and saw the hiding spot from the side, the first person he saw was Elena.

"No, but I still got you," Adrienne smiled and caught his eye.

Damon, who witnessed everything alongside Stefan, had never been this confused. Why would she do that? And why was Klaus just staring at her? And why did she sound so confident, had she not been listening when they told her that he was psycho and murderous? Did she not get that she was going to die now?

Klaus downright stared at Adrienne, who got up on her feet again, for at least 10 seconds, which is a very long time to be stared at for.

"You got me," he admitted before he grabbed her and took off using his vampire-speed.

"What the hell?" Stefan was the first to put words on what everyone left was thinking.

"He wouldn't take her unless he planned on torturing her. If he wanted to kill her, he would've done it here," Caroline said and looked around.

"Someone needs to stay and make those forget and the rest, well maybe except for Elena, will have to look for Adrienne!" she ordered. Damon sighed and started to make his way over to the closest humans who looked like they'd been scared shitless.

"I'm telling you that something's not right here," he said before he compelled the first teenage boy to "forget what just happened and go home."

"He saw Elena but basically just ignored her, why would he do that?" Stefan continued on Damon's thoughts.

"If you could only take one, which would you take, the one whose blood you can use to make more copies of yourself or the one who can kill you? Klaus must know something about Adrienne that we don't," Caroline looked at the guys as if they were missing something huge. Damon was already compelling the third person out of maybe 10. Stefan looked like he was debating with himself on the inside so Caroline grabbed his arm and pulled him with her.

"We have to save her, come on!"

Stefan nodded and let Caroline drag him with her towards the door where they exited. They had decided to leave the car to Elena and Damon so when they were out in the dark, they immediately started running.

Soon they were at the Mikaelsons' mansion. Before the two even had time to make up a rescue plan, they heard voices on the other side of the mansion. Carefully not to get caught, Caroline tip toed around the house with Stefan following just as quietly. The voices belonged to Klaus and Adrienne and if they could hear them talking then they would have to be super silent or Klaus would hear them. Stefan prayed to god that Klaus was too preoccupied to hear them if they would happen to make a sound.

When they reached the corner of the house, Caroline peeked around it to see that Klaus and Adrienne were sitting on one of the old, green benches placed around the big backyard. They were sitting with their backs against them, maybe 300 feet away but Stefan and Caroline could still hear them clearly.

"So I heard you're a wolf now as well?" Adrienne asked, curiously. She repositioned herself on the bench so that she was completely facing him.

"Yes, the only one of my kind," Klaus answered, amused.

"What exactly does that mean? I understand that you're even more immortal than before but does it come with cool powers? Like, can you summon wolves or just talk to animals in general?"

Klaus laughed.

"Oh how I missed you, love… About those powers; like any other werewolf, my bite is deadly to vampires but only my blood holds the cure to a bite. That's the only part that you didn't know, I suppose. So no, I can't talk to animals," Klaus admitted.

"Really? That would've been so cool…" Adrienne sighed dramatically.

"Yeah? Well, I believe that a lot of people would consider me an animal and you are talking to me, aren't you? That would, in fact, make you the cool one", Klaus watched as she couldn't keep her laughter inside.

"Klaus, everyone can talk to you," Adrienne stated and rolled her eyes.

"That doesn't mean that I'll listen. Usually, I'll just do the opposite of what people try to tell me."

"That is actually true; I mean, I must be the only one in this town who you haven't actually bitten," Adrienne joked.

"Oh really?" Klaus asked and smiled threateningly. Adrienne slowly slid herself further away from him until Klaus reached over and grabbed her. She squealed as he pulled her close and began playfully biting all over her, careful not to break the skin. Eventually, the bites turned into kisses which he gently and slowly placed all over her face. Adrienne scrunched up her face and eventually tried to pry his hands from her face but failed.

"Alright, that's enough, Klaus. What if I get herpes?" she joked. Klaus stopped but ignored the joke and looked forward.

"I thought you were dead. I spent years searching the world for someone or something that could awaken you. Until one day, you were just gone. I had vampires standing guard but someone still managed to get you. I didn't even know if you were still asleep, locked up somewhere or if you'd been killed. "

Adrienne repositioned herself again, this time with her hands on the bench on either side of her thighs, leaning forward. They both looked forward into the backyard, neither looking at the other.

"But you weren't held against your will or injured or even dead. You've been living your life for the last 5 years without even letting me know that you were alive," the hurt was noticeable in Klaus' voice. Adrienne had obviously hurt him severely when she decided to not let him know.

She was silent. She didn't know what to say, it wasn't a simple decision.

"Why didn't you come back to me?" Klaus asked. Adrienne sighed.

"I woke up alone and the last thing I remembered was living a life with you, constantly on the run from everyone and everything. I felt like I had missed so much even though I was only asleep for 5 years. I didn't know what my family thought had happened to me, or my friends. That caused me so much stress and anxiety that I just couldn't deal with it. On top of that, I didn't know how you felt about me. 5 years might not be a long time for you but a lot of things can happen. I just wasn't ready to jump back into this life, always on the run, always a target. And the longer I put it off, the angrier I convinced myself that you'd be. And eventually I just thought that you wouldn't care for me anymore and that, if I returned to you, I wouldn't be safe. I know that you feel as If I betrayed you and those who betray you often don't live to see another day, you can't deny that."

"I feel more betrayed by the fact that you thought I would hurt you. I promised you that I never would," Klaus answered.

"I know, but my anxiety got the best of me and besides, you can't really blame me, can you?" Adrienne started to smile. "But enough of this sadness-talk, you know I don't like to get this deep. I love you and if you want me to stay, I will." That brought a smile to Klaus' lips as well.

"Of course, nothing would make me happier. But I suggest we leave this town, it's not safe for you here, not after I've made this much enemies here. I will take Elena with me so that I can create more hybrids and we'll live somewhere else. You can pick a city if you'd like. But now, let's celebrate! I'll get the champagne," Klaus said happily and just like that, he was gone.

Caroline and Stefan looked at each other worriedly. Klaus was planning on taking Elena and using her as a human blood bag and that was something they couldn't allow. Fortunately, it seemed like those plans weren't happening tonight, at least. They watched Klaus disappear and they could finally voice their thoughts quietly.

"He loves her, that's why she has power over him," Stefan concluded. "And if she's been gone and were to come back, she wanted to know if he still loved her, since she basically depends on his love for her. That's why she questioned us about his relationships, especially the one with you." Stefan looked at Caroline.

"Wow, I cannot believe this. She's _with him?_ She knows what he does and that he's a danger to all of us. I was really starting to like her," Caroline admitted. That was true, she couldn't believe how anyone could be with Klaus and she was really starting to like Adrienne. But the feeling that just wouldn't let go of her was jealousy, Klaus had really played her. He was always in love with someone else and next to Adrienne, Caroline was nothing. She had, on multiple occasions, imagined that she would be the one to change Klaus, the one who would finally save him.

"Maybe we can talk to her and get her to convince Klaus to stop harassing us and leave town without Elena. Do you think she has that kind of power over him?" Stefan asked, watching Adrienne get up from the bench and slowly walk towards them as she inspected the flowers planted in groups. She hadn't noticed them listening and that was an advantage, Stefan guessed.

But Stefan and Caroline weren't the only ones who had been listening and the other eavesdropper was mad.

* * *

So just a side note, I put up a poll on my profile so that you can answer whether you want me to continue this story or not because I love the concept of it and I'd love to continue but it is a lot of work and I am kinda always busy so I won't be continuing this (at least not now) if you don't want me to. So maybe leave a review or answer the poll! - L :)


	5. Chapter 5

Damon sped up towards Adrienne, grabbed her, and raced back to the house by which he pushed her up against by her neck. She felt the grip of his hand tighten around her throat and by instinct, put her hands on top of his.

"Who are you and _what_ are you? I don't buy this shit," Damon hissed at her. She managed to say "human" in a low, weak voice as she struggled to get air.

"I told you, I don't buy it! You said that you don't know if you'd come back if you died… would you like to find out?" He put his other hand on Adrienne's jaw and prepared to snap her neck. Closing her eyes, she awaited death, blackness, whatever death would feel like but the only sound of a snapped neck came from Damon's. Because just before he was about to pull the trigger on her, Klaus appeared with an unfathomable anger in his eyes and did to Damon what he was about to do Adrienne. She opened her eyes as she fell to the ground, coughing. Damon was laying on the ground in front of her, dead for now.

Klaus walked briskly to the nearest tree, broke off a branch and returned. It was clear what he was about to do.

From a safe distance, Stefan was just about to jump into the scene and try to save his brother, _again_ , when he heard Adrienne's voice.

"Klaus, don't do it. Please, he'll be dead for a couple more minutes, just listen to me," She asked him desperately from the ground where she was still holding her throat.

Stefan knew that Damon was as good as dead if he didn't step in _now_ , so he did. No way in hell could Adrienne stop Klaus when he was this furious. In fact, Stefan feared for Adrienne's life as well. Klaus had an awful temper, after all.

"If you won't spare him for me," Adrienne began but trailed off once she saw Stefan and Caroline appearing from around the corner. Klaus, of course, noticed too and got ready to drive the stake through Damon's heart. "Then spare him for your own sake," Klaus stopped in his tracks. "If you let him live now, you are showing them that you want a peaceful end to this war. Show them that you are prepared to give up getting revenge for not being a target of theirs later on. Show them that you _can_ be reasoned with and that you _can_ be the bigger man."

What made Klaus stop and throw the stake away was what Adrienne reminded him of without actually saying the words; she reminded him that _he_ would not be the target for revenge if he killed Damon. Adrienne would. And he couldn't have that especially since (even if didn't die) she'd probably leave again if she, from the very start, became a target.

Stefan let out the breath he'd been holding and started walking towards his brother but Klaus gave him a threatening look, as if to say "don't you dare get any closer." Instead, Klaus waited for Damon to come back to life and when he did, with a sharp intake of air, Klaus was right above him.

"You were very lucky today, my friend. The reason – the _only_ reason – as to why you are not in multiple pieces with a wooden stake through the piece which contains your heart, is her," Klaus said and pointed towards Adrienne, who had gotten herself up from the ground. Damon looked a bit dizzy but followed Klaus' gesture and saw Adrienne against the wall with her hand against her throat and a worried look on her face.

"Do you understand?" Damon nodded which caused him to wince from pain. "Do you all understand?" Klaus looked at Stefan and Caroline this time.

"Yes, thank you," Caroline met his gaze and said.

"Don't thank me, thank her. If it was up to me, you wouldn't live long either. As I recall, you all planned to kill me. Now leave," Klaus ordered. He walked up to Adrienne and swept her into his arms to carry her inside the mansion. She rolled her eyes noticeably for everyone to see.

"You know that my legs still work, right?" She didn't get an answer, just the hint of a smirk, so she played along and wrapped her arms around Klaus' neck. Adrienne was exhausted, after all.

"Adrienne? Are you… will you be alright?" Stefan asked, struggling to find the right words. Although everyone knew what he implied, he didn't want to offend anyone any more by saying "are you safe alone with Klaus?"

"Yeah," she answered simply with a reassuring smile before she closed her eyes and rested her face against his neck. Klaus began walking inside, through the back door and Stefan and Caroline helped Damon up.

"Every day is an adventure here, alright," the vampires heard Adrienne mumble followed by "Do you know why you're the worst vampire?" "No, why am I?" "I don't know, you just suck."

"That was a bad one, even for you," Klaus said, trying to keep his laughter contained.

"Then why are you laughing?

What caused Damon to get so mad at Adrienne was that he felt lied to. Ever since he and Stefan returned to Mystic Falls, he had always been the second choice, if even that. And even though he'd known Adrienne for about 24 hours, he felt a connection to her and hoped that he'd be her first choice one day. If not lovers, then best friends. All Damon really wanted was someone who understood him and who would always choose him. Then to find out that Adrienne not was who she said she was… And that she was with _Klaus_ of all people? After having listened to the same conversation as Stefan and Caroline did, Damon didn't even know what to feel. Adrienne and Klaus were lovers, and even though they had never heard of her before, he seemed to _really_ love her. The worst thing, however, was that Adrienne seemed to love him back and Klaus definitely did not deserve her if she was anything like Damon had first thought.

Right there and then, Damon got an idea. Bad ideas were usually his trademark and this one might've been one of them, or not, but it was a plan.

"Why can't you just please drink some of my blood?" Klaus begged worriedly as Adrienne's neck started to turn to an abnormal colour. Slipping down in between the covers, she schrunched her face up in disgust.

"You know that I hate blood, especially yours," she teased, causing Klaus to sit down on the bed and pout.

"Alright, but only a few drops, I'm not _drinking_ anything and you can't make a mess!" She ordered and gestured to the white-clad bed in which she was sitting in one of Rebekah's white robes.

"Of course," Klaus said, moved closer and offered Adrienne his wrist.

"Would you like to do it?" he asked, seductively.

"Not really, no," she laughed. Klaus gave up and pushed his own teeth through the skin. When he tasted blood, he once again offered his wrist to her. Even though Adrienne almost got killed today, it was a good day for Klaus, he did get her back after all and that caused him to be in a very good mood. Such a good mood that instead of doing it neatly and let Adrienne carefully drink from his wrist, he shoved it in her face and smudged blood all over the lower region of her face. Hoping that at least a few drops made it into her mouth since she absolutely wouldn't do it again, Klaus laughed.

"Klaus?! What the hell? You're going to pay for this, I promise you that," Adrienne threatened as she got up and headed towards the bathroom.

"Adrie?" she stopped and turned around.

"You look very hot with my blood all over your mouth," Klaus smirked and received nothing but eyes rolled at him.

"You know I'm always up for a war, but I'd like to keep my blood _inside_ of me.

Adrienne washed the blood off her face, noted that her hair could use a detangling, but didn't bother to do it properly. As she was combing through it with her fingers, she remembered that all her stuff was still at the Salvatore house and went back into the big bedroom. She really needed to talk to Stefan as well. This whole situation was a mess and Adrienne was determined to solve it.

Klaus had gotten up and was doing something on his phone with his back against Adrienne. His shirtless back. According to Adrienne, Klaus hadn't changed a bit. He was exactly the same person she knew 10 years ago which was both good and bad.

"Are you enjoying the view?" he smirked as he turned around and noticed that Adrienne was watching him.

"You haven't changed at all, you know that? You still talk the same way, you still have a _slight_ problem with your temper and impulse control and you carry yourself the same way and I like that. It doesn't stress me out because I don't feel like I missed out on a lot." She smiled before she returned to bed.

What woke Adrienne up was one of the Mikaelsons standing at the door, quietly. She opened her eyes and met Elijah's. Laying on her stomach, Klaus stirred behind her but didn't say anything so Adrienne assumed that he was still asleep.

"I heard you were back," Elijah gave her a small smile, which she returned sleepily. She became aware of the fact that the covers weren't exactly covering her topless back and that she was probably giving Elijah quite the sideboob view but she honestly couldn't give a damn.

"I'm glad. We could really use your help, you have a way of communicating and keeping us originals together." Then he disappeared. Adrienne slowly and carefully got up and succeeded in not waking Klaus. Putting on her clothes again, black jeans and a blue t-shirt, she looked around the room. Where did Klaus keep all the car keys? This town was new to her and therefore this house as well.

Tip toeing to the next room, his study, a desk caught her eye. Inside the top drawer were all the car keys that weren't used right now. Adrienne immediately spotted the keys to the black audi-something that she'd received from Klaus a long time ago. Grabbing them, she went looking for Elijah. Finding an original who moved silently could be a challenge so Adrienne called out his name repeatedly in a low voice. Suddenly, he was standing in front of her.

"I just wanted to thank you, for... you know what. And also, I have a favor to ask… I need to go the Salvatores and get my stuff as well as talk to them and I need you to not rat me out? I'll be back in like an hour or two but if he wakes up and looks for me, just say that I have survived for 5 years without him, I can manage a day more or something like that." She looked at Elijah with hopeful eyes. He was a man of honour and Adrienne had never found herself sorry for trusting him. In some ways, Elijah was more honest and reliable than Klaus.

"Of course," he answered simply. Wasting no time, Adrienne jogged to the garage, surprised that her car was kept and kept clean.

After three rapid knocks on the door, Stefan opened.

"I need to talk to you," Adrienne said. Stefan simply nodded and let her inside.

"This situation that you've got going on here isn't going to end well for anyone," she begun as she sat down on the couch.

"The way it's heading now is that either we leave town and Klaus takes Elena with him or you try to kill Klaus and risk your own lives. I want neither and I suppose that you do too?"

Stefan nodded again.

"Yes, the best option for us would be if Klaus left Elena and us alone and moved from town, taking all the other originals with him," Stefan dreamed.

"I see we have a guest!" Damon interrupted with fake joy. Adrienne rolled her eyes.

"You almost got yourself killed last night because of nothing. I have done nothing to you except for twisting the truth a little to save my life. You can't deny that you wouldn't have done the same," she said with ice in her voice.

"I don't follow, why couldn't you just say that "no, I won't kill Klaus, actually, I'm his lover!" and let us go back to work?" Damon smiled his typical Damon smile.

"I already told you what you needed to know!"

"I want the whole story or I'll tell Klaus what you and Elijah did when he thought you were dead."


	6. Chapter 6

I looked over my shoulder again as I hurried home. My fingers pressed the fabric of my black shirt against the wound on the side of my stomach. The shock almost had me laughing over the thought that this was typical for America.

The sound of a car startled me, I was so on edge. The man driving honked as he slowed down next to me and I stopped. There was nowhere for me to go and I wasn't going to be able to outrun him. It was the same guy as before. The same guy who tried to ask me out at the bar and the same guy who couldn't take no for an answer. The same guy who then tried to stab me with a knife but only managed to cut my side.

I closed my eyes for a few seconds as the guy climbed out of the car. He was a lot taller than me with short dark hair and dark clothes. He looked really angry.

"You know, I'm not the crazy kind of guy. You are just the worst fucking kind of girl. You should be happy that I showed some interest in you and the least you could do is go out with me," the dark haired man said. He spoke with a loud and angry voice but the street was empty so no one heard anyways.

"But instead of showing some gratitude, you humiliate me in front of everyone!" The man was almost growling and I couldn't help but fear for my life. He was right in front of me so by instinct, I started backing away. I only made it a few steps before he grabbed my arm.

"And I am so sick of feminist girls like you who think you're better than everyone else, especially men. You treat us like trash and you don't realize that not every man is a rapist!" the irony almost made me roll my eyes but that would surely land me a knife through the heart.

"Go ahead and kill me then. Your DNA is all over me, both from when you groped my ass at the bar and now," I said and looked at where his hand met my jacket. He, luckily, didn't seem to notice that my voice shook like never before.

"Thanks for the tip. I'll be sure to set your body on fire. Such a shame, you are really the prettiest girl I've ever seen," he said and acted like my death was something inevitable.

"I suggest you leave the lady alone," a voice from across the street suddenly said. Looking over my soon to be killer's shoulder, I saw a man coming towards us. There was something about him; he gave off a feeling of confidence and strength. The grip on my arm weakened and soon the two men stood face to face, a couple of meters away from each other.

Then, just like that, my attacker bolted towards his car and drove off. I couldn't help but follow the car with my eyes. What had just happened? And when was I ever this confident?

"Are you alright?" My rescuer asked. I noticed his British accent and that he now looked very soft and genuine. I met his eyes and he looked back at me, concerned. I also noticed that he had gotten closer but stopped about 4 meters from me. Maybe he thought I'd be afraid of him as well. Which I kinda was. I had no idea how I was still standing upright, it had to be the adrenalin boosting both my confidence and just making my body… still function.

"I'm fine… I guess," I heard myself trail off even though this was easy the worst night of my life. "He was going to kill me," I continued in a low voice. Why was I telling him this? I should just thank the guy, go home and drink my problems away before I anger someone else.

"Yeah, I think that you were very brave. He was a lot bigger than you. You are, by the way, very small," he said and smiled. When he smiled, he gave off some sort of boyish vibe along with a wicked one that disturbed me a bit. I looked at him, confused but he just continued.

"Where do you live? I'd really like to walk you home and I hope you don't mind if I do."

I honestly didn't mind, I mean, I didn't know him and there was something that felt off about him but what would the odds be that I'd run into two psycho killers within an hour? So I just nodded and said that I lived "a few minutes this way."

We started walking and I let myself relax more and more. Of course, a thing like this wasn't something you could just shake off but my body wasn't partially paralyzed by fear anymore and I started to remember that I actually had to let out the breaths I was taking. I couldn't take my fingers from my wound however but I doubted my company noticed it due to my jacket covering it. The man walking beside me seemed to realize that I was calming down and didn't pressure me to talk about anything. I hadn't looked at him since we started walking but I saw that he was blondish with short curls, blue or green deep set eyes and full lips with a significant cupid's bow. When he had smiled or talked he showed off a pair of dimples as well.

I found myself thinking that my rescuer was indeed very cute and the thought almost made me laugh out loud. What the hell is wrong with me?

"What's your name?" I asked carefully and turned my head a little bit toward him but I didn't look at him. I could feel him looking back at me and he seemed to be thinking before he answered.

"My name is Klaus. Well, Niklaus but most call me Klaus… or Nik."

"Niklaus... Old Scandinavian?" I asked and he almost stopped in his tracks when I repeated his name. Then he nodded – as an answer to my question or for me to continue I don't know – so I continued.

"This is my house," I gestured to the white house as I walked up to the porch before I stopped in front of the door. "I just wanted to thank you, Klaus. You probably saved me from getting stabbed to death and I appreciate that you even walked me home. So thank you," I said, genuinely. He had followed me up the steps and looked at me as I searched for my keys in my pocket. No one was home so I had to unlock myself.

"Can I ask for your name?" Klaus asked in a curious but polite voice.

"Adrienne," I answered simply as I realized that it would take my left hand to search in my left pocket. I bit my lip to keep myself from wincing as I slowly removed the shaking hand from underneath my jacket. The amount of blood on it surprised me and for a second I just stared at my slightly shaking hand, forgetting what I was supposed to do and who was also watching.

"I obviously wasn't such a good rescuer…" Klaus commented as if he was disappointed in himself as I unlocked the door, leaving blood on the white front door that I would have to clean off tomorrow.

"Let me help you, you're clearly injured," he offered. But hospitals really weren't my thing and especially if that meant that I'd have to get stitches.

"Look, I really, really appreciate everything that you've done for me tonight, I really do but I think I can manage from here," I said as kindly as I could and stepped inside before I turned around and leaned against the door frame.

"I can help you, if it's the hospital that you're unsure about then I can help you here," he almost pleaded.

"I think I can handle it myself and no offence, but I don't know you and I've already told a strange man my name and showed him where I live," I tried to joke but winced when it hurt my stomach.

Klaus looked at me for a second but seemed to realize that I wouldn't change my mind so he turned around and walked down the steps before he turned around again.

"If it gets worse, seek professional help, alright? Good night, Adrienne, I'll see you around."

I watched him walk back the way we came for a few seconds before I closed and locked the door. The first thing I did after was taking off my jacket and shirt so that I could inspect the cut in the mirror. It wasn't deep so some cleaning and a bandage would do. At home, out of danger and without scary, strange men to keep my adrenalin levels up, the pain arrived.

As I was filling my system with alcohol, I tried to figure my feelings out. I was probably not going to tell any of my friends when I got back home, nor my family. I was just going to dwell in the anxiety and psychological pain that this night was going to cause me and after a few days, I would lock it up in a mental box, move on and never think of it again. That was how I did things and how I did them best.

My drunken self also thought quite a bit about Klaus. Of course I was thankful for the fact that he basically saved my life while I was being stupid. I should've run and I should've fought back at my attacker. Instead I just stood there? Maybe I deserved getting stabbed. Klaus saved me and I felt that maybe I owed him for it? Which I didn't because how could I ever possibly repay him? I couldn't do anything else besides thank him politely, which I had already done. But the feeling that I owed him wouldn't go away and that me feel uneasy. Something was wrong about him and I didn't like it. He scared me. It was the way he talked and the way he walked and just everything about him. Klaus was too confident, maybe even arrogant? I wouldn't know since I didn't actually know the guy but something was telling me that he wasn't a nice person to be around at all times and that was what I needed.

I felt most comfortable with humble and generous people. That's why I enjoyed my cousin Luke's company and my friend Katie. When I was with people like them, it came naturally that I mimicked that behavior. I figured it out only a few years ago that I had a problem with pride. And of course anxiety and stress. But what Luke and Katie did was that they weren't interested in beating me at everything. Winning arguments and mind games and such wasn't important to them and therefore it wouldn't be for me either. Put me with the opposite, however, and I would die trying to win at everything. I just couldn't lose and that was because of my issue with pride. Swallowing pride wasn't something I could do without immense psychological pain which were reinforced by my anxiety. Giving in to someone who valued pride as much as I did was to also show weakness. I would become vulnerable and that in itself caused me a ton of stress and anxiety. To avoid that I would manipulate and do literally everything to defeat people which lead to nothing good for anyone.

That's the reason that I surrounded myself with people like Luke and Katie, so that side never had to come out and I could pretend to be a genuine, loving and generous person even if that wasn't who I was deep down. Klaus didn't seem to be someone I wanted to be around.

* * *

Here's the next chapter! hope you like it! - L


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